‘Silo’s 10 Best Episodes, Ranked
SIlo might only be halfway through its planned four-season run, but those 20 episodes have already established its sterling reputation as an outstanding series. Showrunner Graham Yost‘s adaptation of the Wool, Shift, and Dust novel trio by Hugh Howey is one of Apple TV+’s twistiest, most compelling and preeminent offerings in a streaming slate that doesn’t lack for groundbreaking, cerebral, and crowd-pleasing sci-fi (did someone say Severance?).
In an era where series are lucky to get six-to-eight episodes per season (let alone a renewal past Season 1), neither of Silo‘s 10-episode seasons feel too rushed or too middling. Arguably, there’s no such thing as a bad episode of Silo — only the 10 strongest and the best of the rest. Without further ado, here is the cream of the crop of those episodes, ranked.
10
Season 1 Episode 3, “Machines”
Directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Ingrid Escajeda
Silo‘s pacing almost unfolds like a novel. Every piece of this massive puzzle connects like a spiderweb, and no word, gesture, or detail should be overlooked, no matter how inconsequential they seem. After the opening two episodes introduced the series’ setting — a dystopian future with a ruined, deadly earth — and the stakes for the thousands of survivors huddled inside a silo, Season 1, Episode 3, “Machines,” starts laying the breadcrumbs.
After finding the word “truth” carved into the back of former sheriff Holston Becker’s (David Oyelowo) badge, Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) overcomes her reluctance and becomes Becker’s replacement as the silo’s new sheriff. Immediately, the higher-ups resist the rapid rise of this nondescript engineer from Mechanical, specifically Judge Mary Meadows (Tanya Moodie) and IT leader Bernard Holland (Tim Robbins) — two names that will soon become essential to Silo‘s narrative geography. Juliette also gets an impressively badass sequence when she restarts the generator, but this episode’s stomach-dropping shock comes when an unknown assassin poisons Mayor Ruth Jahns (Geraldine James). As she dies in the arms of Sam Marnes (Will Patton), the man for whom she had just confessed her romantic feelings, Silo makes it clear that someone in power never wants the truth to emerge.
9
“Holston’s Pick”
Season 1, Episode 2
In the months before his death, Holston Becker and Juliette begin investigating the death of Juliette’s lover, George Wilkins (Ferdinand Kingsley), the same man who helped Allison Becker (Rashida Jones) dig up hidden information years earlier. Juliette insists that George didn’t die by suicide. Grieving, furious, and desperate for answers, she wanders down to the very bottom of the silo, stomping through its watery depths looking for the same door George had been searching for. Holston, also mourning the loss of his significant other, makes the irreversible decision to follow Allison outside.
Through his helmet, Holston witnesses the same sight Allison did in her final moments: a landscape closer to a paradise than a ruined hellscape. Viewers who have finished Season 1 know the display is a lie. At this moment, however, all we have been our suspicions about the conflict between truth and propaganda, and Holston, the man we thought was Silo‘s protagonist, dying next to his wife’s body. The stakes are higher than we assumed — but more than that, all bets about Silo‘s future are off.
8
“Order”
Season 2, Episode 2,
Every season opener for any series has a lot of catching up and foreshadowing to do. Silo‘s sophomore outing pulls double duty by splitting Season 2’s opening action between two locations and two episodes. The premiere follows Juliette as she explores the neighboring silo, while Episode 2, “Order,” traces the ripple effects of her failed cleaning inside her old silo.
Separating both perspectives keeps Silo‘s numerous characters and their evolving relationships with each other coherent, with the added bonus of giving the majority of the all-star ensemble time to shine in relation to Juliette, but without her presence. “Order” perfectly captures the opposite of what the word means — Bernard, the man fixated with maintaining order, prepares to wage war upon Mechanical to defend what he believes is the greater good. Meanwhile, Juliette’s loved ones and allies carry on her impact by taking her name up as a battle cry, reacting with a believable, complex mixture of grief, awe and pride at her accomplishment, and bittersweet defiance. The resulting tension is like a heat wave visibly simmering above a blacktop road.
7
“The Engineer”
Season 2, Episode 1
Speaking of season premieres — “The Engineer” defying expectations grants it an edge over its successor episode. After a flashback depicting the neighboring silo’s successful rebellion, the episode mercilessly cuts back to the present, where Juliette walks over a crater filled with the corpses of the people we just saw triumphantly emerging. It’s a harrowing tease about the wider world outside the insular silo we know, and an ominous hint about the fate that could befall Juliette’s friends and family.
As for Juliette herself, her mission is plain and simple survival. It’s always been marvelous to watch Ferguson play a physically active heroine who’s also capable of navigating threats with her engineering expertise, rigging pulleys and oxygen tanks out of abandoned spare parts. The true master stroke of “The Engineer,” however, is how it plays out in silence. Juliette doesn’t talk to herself as she ventures into the silo’s darkness, a choice emphasizing the silo’s eeriness and our protagonist’s sudden, all-encompassing isolation. It’s haunting, and Ferguson captivates our attention without saying a word.
6
“Freedom Day”
Season 1, Episode 1
If there’s one thing Silo especially excels at, it’s showing the rest of the streaming world how the first two and the final two episodes of a season should be done. “Freedom Day” flings us headfirst into this unknown future and its unique social system, laying just enough worldbuilding groundwork for viewers to grasp the basics and crave more.
Allison and Holston are the perfect pair of audience surrogates for this task, a wholesome, everyday couple nurturing their love and hopeful for a baby despite the state of their world. Allison’s discoveries and pursuit of the truth spiral into breathtaking disaster. By the time she walks outside, willing to embrace certain death in exchange for a glimpse of that lush, beautiful landscape, we’re hooked.
5
“The Dive”
Season 2, Episode 8
Almost everyone reaches a breaking point in “The Dive.” Bernard and Robert Sims (Common) continue to ferociously clash, Robert and his wife Camille (Alexandria Riley) debate whether they should play both sides of the upcoming rebellion, and Solo (Steve Zahn) forces Juliette to repair the silo’s damaged water pump. Meanwhile, Mechanical successfully sews seeds of discontent among the public, while Bernard and Lukas Kyle (Avi Nash) race to suppress Mechanical by solving Salvador Quinn’s coded message.
Last but certainly not least, Martha Walker’s (Harriet Walter) panicked fear over Carla McLain’s (Clare Perkins) well-being puts her in Bernard’s blackmailing crosshairs. Watching the imitable Martha show vulnerability is painful enough, but knowing Bernard intends to exploit Mechanical’s intellectual rock is Silo at its unpredictable best.
4
“Into the Fire”
Season 2, Episode 10
Appropriately, Season 2’s final episode is when Siloo‘s season-long bubble bursts. Non-stop but never rushed, “Into the Fire” highlights most of this series’ strengths and characteristics: twists, turns, character reactions, and iron-clad plotting. From Juliette and Solo discovering the harrowing truth about the Safeguard, to Martha revealing how they duped Bernard, to Mechanical’s first major character fatality via Pete Nichols’ (Iain Glen) emotional sacrifice, the pandemonium has hit its full swing.
Then, of course, there’s that ending: Juliette and Bernard’s confrontation culminates with both of them trapped in the incinerator as it activates. Many other series would end with that cliffhanger. Silo is a different beast. Cue a jaw-dropping flashback and the introduction of Helen (Jessica Henwick) and Daniel (Ashley Zukerman), as well as the first hints about how Silo‘s world came to be. Only Silo could tee up more answers while still presenting even more questions.
3
“The Harmonium”
Season 2, Episode 4
Even for a series characterized by its slow-burn tension, “The Harmonium” is profoundly stressful to behold. It never seemed likely that Bernard would let Meadows leave his grasp, and each successive interaction felt like a trap closing around Meadows. As the pair seemingly reached a truce, their contentious, complicated history came to the forefront in the most devastating way possible.
Feeling forced into a corner by Sims leading an impeachment campaign against Meadows, Bernard sacrifices the only person he seems to truly care for and uses Meadows’ death to frame Mechanical. It’s gut-wrenching to watch Meadows rush out her final words and take in the visuals of an unharmed earth as Bernard cradles her, weeping over the body of the woman he murdered. When Bernard hardens against Sims in the aftermath, it’s even more chilling.
2
“The Safeguard”
Season 2, Episode 9
Remember what I said about Silo‘s mastery over premieres and finales? Season 2, Episode 9, “The Safeguard,” is like dynamite deployed at close range. Not only does this audacious series dare to pull the rug out from under us by recontextualizing Juliette’s side of the season, when the truth about Solo’s past and identity emerges, it’s both mortifying and cathartic. More than perhaps any other episode, “The Safeguard” emphasizes the fragility of human existence and our emotions will shrivel up and starve without genuine human connection.
Not keen to rest on the laurels of its emotional impact, however, Season 2’s penultimate episode has one more trick up its sleeve. “The Safeguard” brings George’s search for a hidden door full circle when Lukas discovers its location and finds himself greeted by the Algorithim’s eerie electronic warning. If Lukas shares the information he’s about to learn, the Algorithm has no choice except to deploy the Safeguard protocols. Fasten your seatbelts, folks.
1
“Outside”
Season 1, Episode 10
Will Bernard truly force Juliette to go outside? Can her allies free her? Will Juliette discover the truth or just crumble to her death just like the Beckers? And what do you mean, there are dozens upon dozens of silos as far as the eye can see?
It’s difficult for any series to top an iconic and narrative-shifting moment, but Silo‘s Season 1 finale is a masterful lesson in sticking the landing beyond just a topic of fervent watercooler discussion. By emerging from that crater alive, Juliette achieves the unimaginable. Those ramifications earthquakes throughout the next season, and it’s likely we haven’t yet seen the end of them.
